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Review of Pink Noises: Women on Electronic Music and Sound

Recently there has been some press about how articles about female scientists are frequently deleted from Wikipedia, especially when compared to their male counterparts.  As a casual Wikipedia editor, my initial reaction was anger and betrayal. There had to be something I could do about it. One of the underlying reasons behind articles disappearing resides in Wikipedia’s strict resource guidelines.  Personal websites and aggregate websites are not accepted, and print media is preferred. Setting aside the fact that the male-dominated editor community enforces these guidelines with bias (that solution involves more women editors, which I have addressed in previous articles), there are rippling consequences for lack of representation.  Then what is our solution? Write about women and gender-fluid folk. Interview them. Write reviews of their work You are seeing that solution in action, here, at SoundGirls.

Dr. Tara Rodgers is also part of that solution with both Pinknoises.com and Pink Noises: Women on Electronic Music and Sound.  I do not know exactly how this text came across my radar, possibly from stumping Amazon’s suggestion algorithm, but it called to me and my bottomless appetite for reading.  Pinknoises.com, when it was active in the early 2000’s, was a collection of interviews curated by Rodgers focusing on women in electronic music. The book is formatted similarly and is a highlight reel of the website.  It received the Pauline Alderman Book Award from the International Alliance for Women in Music in 2011.

“Pink noise” is a double entendre of sorts: referring to the association of pink and femininity paired with noise as a jarring a-musical sound, and pink noise as a broadband collection of frequencies with equal energy per octave.  Each artist Rodgers interviews is an iconoclast in her own right, noise to the established system, and each has their own musical philosophy. While Rodgers does devote at least one question per interview to address the lack of diversity in electronic music, not one interview is stuck on that issue. In fact, several of the artists bristle at the question, angered by its apparent necessity and inclusion.  The honesty is refreshing. These are artists who just happen to be women. Their work is what defines them, not their gender.

Before opening Pink Noises, I had not heard of any of the artists interviewed, but I recognized some of their male contemporaries.  Their accomplishments are too numerous, too awe-inspiring to be kept a secret. This book needed to be published.  From their hand’s synths were invented, software developed, movements revolutionized. And the interviews focus on the why and how.  “What drew you to music?” “How does a piece get realized?”

Rodgers guides the interviews with an anthropological lens. Although this book was published in 2010, the answers are timeless and not based on one software or operating system.  A reader from 2020 or even 2050 has something to gain here. What also gives Pink Noises depth is the diversity of artists picked for the collection.  From Pauline Oliveros to Riz Maslen (aka Neotropic), they traverse the history of electronic music as well as the breadth of its expressions.  They are from all over the world, there are both artists and engineers, and the work ranges from museum installations to nightclub sets. Rodgers bucks elitism and gatekeeping to archive what should never have been ignored in the first place.

Let this book inspire you to create your own masterpiece, but not just that.  Let it inspire you to collaborate, to write, to share. Be inspired to update “normal” to include the diversity we know is there.  Help others to make their works heard and seen, help them get recognition. We can and will cross the threshold of notability. This starts with us

 

Church Sound University Scholarships

Church Sound University Scholarships

Church Sound University is presented by worship sound practitioners for worship sound practitioners. The curriculum has been specifically tailored to focus on the KEY essentials for church tech teams – volunteers in particular – to attain consistent sonic quality at every worship service and event.  A One-Day Program Designed To Improve Your Worship audio Experience.

Church Sound University is providing members of SoundGirls Scholarships to its 2020 courses. SoundGirls will award one scholarship to each of the upcoming courses.  In addition, SoundGirls Members can receive a 25% discount on any of the courses.  (email soundgirls@soundgirls.org for discount code).

Upcoming Dates

Apply for scholarships by clicking on the links above.

Who Church Sound University is for and what you will learn…

Instructor Samantha Potter walks you through what church tech teams — of all levels — can get out of attending the day-long program. It has much to offer in fellowship, community, and education.

LEARNING  and Breakout sessions

MICROPHONES & LOUDSPEAKERS
BREAKOUT SESSION A

– Microphone Mechanics
– Microphone Techniques
– Basics of Amplifiers
– Loudspeaker Mechanics
– System Tuning for Beginners

MIXING & STREAMING BREAKOUT SESSION B

– Technique vs Artistry
– Message Intelligibility
– Processing Techniques
– Multitracking and Virtual Soundcheck
– Online Ministries and Broadcast Mixing

WIRELESS SYSTEMS & MIC TECHNIQUES BREAKOUT SESSION C

– RF 101
– Successful System Design
– Future of RF

AUDIO 101 MAIN HALL

– Audio and Sound 101
– Acoustics 101
– Ear Training
– Fundamentals

WRAPPING IT UP MAIN HALL

– Stagecraft 101
– Cable Management
– Power and Safety
– Hum, Buzz, and Troubleshooting

Shadow FOH, Monitors, and Lighting Designer

SoundGirls have been invited to shadow the FOH and Monitor Engineers, and Lighting Designer on Billie Eilish.

SoundGirls will be able to shadow both engineers and LD and will get a chance to observe a touring production. You must be 18 to apply and be pursuing a career in live sound or lighting. You will be expected to show up for load-in and stay until load-out.

There are only two dates available, and we will select three people per date (FOH, Monitors, L.D.)

April 8th – Sacramento

April 11th  -Vancouver.

You will be notified if you have been accepted on Feb. 26. SoundGirls applying are responsible for all travel expenses.

Apply Here

 

How to Push your Sound Design to the Max

While Not Stepping on your Mixer’s Toes

We get a lot of questions about how much you should do in your sound design pass versus how much to leave to your mixer. So, although I’ve written a few posts on this topic (such as Whose Job Is It: When Plugin Effects Sound Design vs Mix Choices and Five Things I’ve Learned about Editing from Mixing), I thought it was time for another brush-up.

As some of you may know, I’m a long-time sound designer and supervising sound editor, but I just started mixing a few years ago. While attending mixes as a supervisor definitely gave me a window into best practices for sound design success (aka how to make sure your work actually gets played…audibly), I got a whole new vantage point for what to do (and not do) once I started having to dig through sound design sessions myself! So, while I am a fledgling mixer and you should always speak directly to the mixer working on your project before making decisions or altering your workflow, I feel that I am qualified to share my personal preferences and experiences. Take this as the starting point for a conversation—a window into one mixer’s mind, and hopefully, it will spark great communication with your own mixer.

Below, I’m sharing a few key concepts that there seems to be confusion surrounding in the “who does what” debate. I’ve personally come across these questions or situations, and I’m hoping to spare you the headache of doing any work over due to a lack of communication. Here they are!

EQ

What Not to Do

I was recently the supervisor and mixer on an episode that was almost entirely underwater. My sound effects editor EQ’ed every single water movement, splash, drip, etc. that occurred underwater with a very aggressive low-pass filter. While this made total sense from a realistic sound point of view, it completely demolished any clarity that we might have had and muddied up the entire episode. It was very hard to locate the sound effects in the space and even harder to get them to cut through the dialogue, more or less the music! Unfortunately, this was done destructively with audio-suite on every single file (and there were thousands of them probably). Every single one had to be recut by hand from the library, which was an insanely arduous task.

What to Do Instead

I’m going to say this once, and then please just assume that this is step one for everything below (I’ll spare you the boredom of reading it over and over): STEP ONE IS ALWAYS ASK YOUR MIXER BEFORE YOU START APPLYING ANY EQ.

I think you can safely assume that there’s, at best, an 80% chance that your mixer does not want you to EQ anything. Ever. So always ask before you destructively alter your work. With EQ’ing it’s especially important that the right amount is added given what else is happening in the scene, and clients often have opinions about how much is too much for their sense of clarity in the mix.

The better way to approach EQ is to ask your mixer (again, asking because this may require a change to their mix template which requires their approval) if it would work to place any FX that you think should be EQ’ed on a separate food group with no other FX mixed in. Having all underwater movements on one set of tracks clearly labeled UNDERWATER FX gives your mixer the ability to quickly EQ all of them with just a few keystrokes and knob turns. And then he or she can also very easily change that EQ to mesh well with the music and dialogue or to satisfy a client note. It also means that he or she can put all of those lovely water effects on one VCA and ride that if the clients ask for any global changes to the volume of water FX. Win-win!

The same is true for any batch EQ’ing of FX. I like the “split onto a separate food group of clearly labeled tracks” method for other things, too, like: action happening on the other side of a door or wall, sound effects coming from a TV or radio, or any other time that you would imagine EQ should be applied to a large selection of files. So yes, split it out to make it easy and obvious for your mixer, but no, don’t do it yourself.

Reverb

What Not to Do

Don’t add any environmental reverb. Just don’t do it. Keep in mind that your sound design doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s layered on top of dialogue, music, BGs, ambiances, and probably more! What sounds right as a reverb setting to you while working only on your FX definitely won’t be the right choice once everything else has been placed in the mix.

What to Do Instead

Let your mixer decide. If you do it as an effect for one singular moment (I’m thinking something like a hawk screech to establish distance), only process individual files and also provide a clearly marked clean version in the track below. That way, your mixer has the option to use your version, or take it as an indication of what the clients like and redo it with the clean one. But before you go ahead and use reverb as an effect in your sound design, always check in with your supervisor first. He or she will be able to draw on all of their experience on the mix stage, and will be able to let you know if it’s a good idea or not. From my experience, the answer is that it’s almost always NOT a good idea.

Trippy FX

What Not to Do

Say you’re designing the sound for a super trippy sequence like the POV shot for a drugged up character. You may be tempted to add a phaser, some crazy modulation, or any other trippy overall effect to the whole sequence. Don’t do it! That takes all of the fun out of your mixer’s job, and furthermore really ties his or her hands. They need the ability to adjust any effects to also achieve mix clarity when the music and dialogue are added. So it’s always best to let them choose any overall effects!

What to Do Instead

Go for it with weird ambiences, off-the-wall sound choices, and totally different BGs to make it feel like you’re really inside the character’s head. Feel free to process individual files if you think it really adds something—just be sure to also supply the original muted below and named something obvious like “unprocessed.”

Panning

What Not to Do

Don’t spend hours panning all of your work without first speaking to your mixer. Your understanding of panning may be wildly different from what he or she can actually use in the mix. I’ve seen a lot of editors pan things 100% off-screen to the right or left, and I just have to redo all of it. Panning isn’t too difficult or complicated, but it’s really best to be on the same page as your mixer before you start.

What to Do Instead

Some mixers love it if you help out with panning, especially if they’re really under the gun time-wise. Others prefer you leave it to them—so always ask first. If you want to be sure that your spaceship chase sequence zooms in and around your clients during your FX preview, just make sure to ask your mixer first about his/her panning preferences. How far to the L/R do they prefer that you pan things? What about how much into the rears? Do they mind if you do it with the panning bars, or will they only keep it if you use the 5.1 panner/stereo pot?

LFE Tracks

What Not to Do

Don’t cut your LFE tracks while listening on headphones. You may not realize that what you’re putting in the LFE should actually go in our SFX track because it is low in pitch, but not in that rumble-only range. It’s nearly impossible to cut your LFE track without a subwoofer, since true LFE sweeteners in your library will look like they have a standard-sized waveform, but will sound like almost nothing in headphones!

What to Do Instead

Keep in mind that any files that live on the LFE tracks are going to be bused directly to the low-frequency effects generator which can output approximately 3- 120 Hz. That is super low!  So only cut sound effects that have only that frequency information in them, or that you only care to hear that part. Any other mid-range “meat” to the sound will be lost in the mix.

 

A Beginners Guide to Wireless Frequencies 

Learning about and using wireless equipment can be overwhelming – there are a lot of differences from traditional gear and rather importantly there are strict rules around using radio frequencies that vary from country to country.

How does wireless equipment work?

 

Wired microphones convert sound into an electrical signal. This is sent through the wire to the sound system. Wireless microphones, however, convert sound into radio signals. This signal is then sent from a transmitter to a receiver which sends it to the sound system. The transmitter is a device that converts the audio signal into a radio signal and broadcasts it through an antenna.

Transmitters are small clip-on packs or in the case of handheld wireless microphones, they are built into the design of the handle. All wireless transmitters generally use a 9-volt battery. The receiver is tuned to receive the radio waves from the transmitter and convert it back into an audio signal. This means that the output of the receiver is just like a traditional wired signal. The balanced audio signal from the receiver output is then connected via an XLR to a typical input in a sound system.

There are a few different kinds of antennae on receivers – single and diversity. Single antenna receivers have one receiving antenna and one tuner but these can be prone to dropping out or getting interruptions in the signal. Diversity receivers, however, perform better as they have two separate antennas and two separate tuners. This means the receiver will automatically choose the best of the two signals, sometimes using a blend of both. This reduces the chance of a drop out because the likelihood is high that one antenna will be receiving a clean signal.

What frequency should I use for my equipment?

This is one of the trickiest areas to cover with wireless equipment because it depends on a lot of factors. Some frequency bands work brilliantly for speech but not for music, and some bands are simply too small to fit in lots of audio channels for a larger group. Some are prone to interference due to being license-free, popular bands and it can be a minefield working out where to begin.

When deciding what band to use, firstly it is good to know that each performer/person that is using wireless in the same location needs to be using a different frequency. It’s good practice to set up the receiver with a blank channel in between or a spacing of 0.25Hz increments on the receiver. Secondly, it’s important to know which spectrum band is suitable and legal to use for your venue – this will depend on the number of wireless devices you’re using, where you are in the world, and if you are moving around or touring with the same equipment. Wireless devices include “low power auxiliary station” equipment such as IEMs, wireless audio instrument links, and wireless cueing equipment, which all have the same rules as wireless microphones. Though not fully extensive, a guide to the available frequency rules of most countries can be found at Frequencies for wireless microphones

There are different areas of the radio frequency spectrum that we are allowed to use for wireless equipment but some are more suitable and better than others, and these are constantly changing, which makes it a hot topic for discussion. It’s useful to remember that the frequency spectrum works in the same way as physical space, in that it has a finite amount of room to be shared. The company Shure has strong concerns, particularly about the ever-decreasing UHF band in the Netherlands and has set up a site to raise awareness at www.losingyourvoice.co.uk

 

The UHF band is the preferred spectrum for wireless equipment however this is getting smaller for wireless use all the time. Ultra-high frequency (UHF) is the ITU designation for radio frequencies in the range between 300 megahertz (MHz) and 3 gigahertz (GHz), also known as the decimetre band as the wavelengths range from one meter to one-tenth of a metre (one decimetre).

Most places including the UK and the USA have overhauled their UHF frequency ranges in recent years due to the digitisation of television, freeing up the old analogue frequencies. Originally analogue television transmitted in the 400-800MHz range had been separated into 8MHz “channels” and these refer to a particular frequency range.

Channel 38 is the spectrum of 606.5 – 613.5MHz and is a popular choice in the UK. Governing body Ofcom requires customers to purchase a yearly UHF UK Wireless Microphone Licence to use Channel 38. A flexible license means that owners are allowed to use radio microphone systems in any location. Channel 38 is a shared space and is large enough for 12 radio microphone systems, however, the downside is that if wireless equipment is tuned to the alternative Channel 70 it cannot then return to Channel 38.

Channel 70 is the band of 863 – 865MHz and this is free to use for radio microphone equipment in the UK. This spectrum is so small that it can be difficult to fit many systems into this space. Additionally, if other users nearby are also trying to use this space it can cause interference. Another issue with Channel 70 is that there is no “buffer” range at the lower end as 4G transmission lives immediately below 863MHz which can cause interference.

The band of what used to be Channel 69 (833-862MHz) is illegal to use since its’ digital auctioning in 2013 and it was replaced with Channel 38 for wireless equipment. Because of these challenges, Channel 70 may not be the best solution for larger setups requiring more space.

In the USA there are similar changes coming into place courtesy of the FCC which is the US governing body. The latest changes include the bands 617 – 652 and 663 – 698MHz which will be banned from wireless use as of July 13 2020. The move away from the 600MHz band is due to channels 38-51 in this spectrum being auctioned to television stations. This means that after July 2020 the available frequencies for wireless will include some frequencies on TV channels 2-36 below 608MHz, 614 – 616MHz, 653 – 657MHz, and 657 – 663MHz. Though this may seem like a current transition, this has been in progress for some time – the use of band 698 – 806MHz has been prohibited by the FCC since 2010 as this was repurposed for licensed commercial wireless services and public-safety networks.

What other frequency options am I allowed to use if the UHF range isn’t right for me?

Again, the list of available space is specific to each country, license and equipment tuning limitations however utilising either side of the UHF range can work, with the VHF (very high frequency) spectrum often making a good and practical backup solution.

The VHF band is classed as 30 – 300MHz, with a differentiation given between low and high VHF:

“Low-band VHF range of 49 MHz includes transmission of wireless microphones, cordless phones, radio controlled toys and more. A slightly higher VHF range of 54-72 MHz operates television channels 2-4, as well as wireless systems defined as “assistive listening.” VHF frequencies 76-88 MHz operate channels 5 and 6.

Band III is the name of the range of radio frequencies within the very high frequency (VHF) part of the electromagnetic spectrum from 174 to 240 megahertz (MHz). It is primarily used for radio and television broadcasting. It is also called high-band VHF, in contrast to Bands I and II.”

The Shure website explains the pro points of using the high-band VHF range, saying:

“The high-band VHF range is the most widely used for professional applications, and in which quality wireless microphone systems are available at a variety of prices. In the U.S., the high-band VHF range is divided into two bands available to wireless microphone users. The first band, from 169 – 172 MHz, includes eight specific frequencies designated by the FCC for wireless microphone use by the general public. These frequencies are often referred to as “traveling frequencies,” because they can theoretically be used throughout the U.S. without concern for interference from broadcast television. Legal limits of deviation (up to 12 kHz) allow high-quality audio transmission.”

Other than the UHF and VHF bands, if we look to the higher end of the spectrum the WiFi frequency range at 2.4GHz is another option, however, this also has its limitations due to it being a small shared space and the fact that a lot of WiFi networks in the area can cause interference.

So what does this mean in practical terms to get started?

If you are purchasing new wireless equipment it’s very important to understand its limitations in what frequencies you will be working with at any given venue, and this is multiplied tenfold if you intend to travel with the same equipment. Many modern receivers do not allow the tuning options to change ranges once they have been set – as previously mentioned, the UK channels 38 and 70 cannot be swapped once they have been tuned, and similarly, radio microphones that can tune to Channel 38 will not tune to the “Duplex Gap” of 823 – 832MHz or the shared space of 1785 – 1805MHz. This means that equipment needs have to be very well researched prior to purchasing and that pre-loved second-hand gear will need extra investigation for this reason.

What are the power restrictions for my wireless equipment? 

As a general rule the power must not be in excess of 50 milliwatts when operating in the television bands, and no more than 20 milliwatts when operating in the 600MHz band or the Duplex Gap.

So to recap what questions should I ask first to get setup?

To get started with wireless equipment the key starting questions are:

While it may seem like a lot of questions to ask and elements to consider, most wireless manufacturers will state the capabilities and limitations of their equipment, and keep you up to date with changes that may affect its’ use. With a bit of research and preparation, it’s possible to find wireless equipment to meet a variety of audio needs and budgets, that works within the law and sounds great wherever you may be.

 

BBC Sounds Podcast is Live

January can be quite a busy month for most people. New goals, new mindsets, new plans. I have always loved January as it is my birthday month, as well as many of my friends’ birthdays. The month has already flown by! I celebrated NYE in Newcastle with a uni friend then returned to work in London. Despite being known to be a “slower month” in the industry, I managed to stay busy! I have taken a week to continue my birthday celebrations, a few days in York with my mum and a trip to Lisbon with a friend. I don’t want the fun to end!

In more exciting and relevant news, my BBC Sounds audio piece is live! It went up on 16th January and started to gain traction on Instagram on 22nd January. I am yet to post about it on my personal social channels and may not get round to that until February, so stay tuned! I have mentioned the piece before, but for anyone who doesn’t know, this is how the BBC have described it:

I have flown the family nest for the bright lights of London. I usually don’t realise I miss home until I hear the Geordie accent in an unexpected place. A park, a coffee shop, the tube. My parents are polar opposites. Mum is the life and soul of the party, usually connected to a telephone, but as for Dad… He’s a poet. Some artists appear out of the blue. My 58-year-old Scottish father deals with the passing of a friend, his wife’s endless diets and his children’s travels abroad by putting pen to paper. His spelling is awful and the rhyming can be questionable but it definitely brings a laugh to anyone that has the pleasure of hearing them!. And he uses his autobiographical poetic content to communicate with the rest of the family. Through family conversation and anecdotal comedic poems, this piece will remind you that some of the best moments can happen in the home. My Dad is a poet and he really didn’t know it. New Creatives is supported by Arts Council England and BBC Arts.

This has been about a year in the making, with my initial application to the programme occurring when I was working in Seville between January and April 2019. I am so happy with the progress I made completing the BBC New Creatives scheme, learning about how to distribute and market my own audio work. This has been difficult to carry out when applying for many different jobs and then once more after moving to London for a full-time job. I hope that this audio piece can lead to more increasingly exciting opportunities in the near future! I know my Dad would love for his work to be picked up and published! I had always suggested he make a book with all his poems, but a podcast is another fun alternative!

You can find a link to my work here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0801sr8

Best of luck to everyone’s 2020 endeavours!

The Bad Buzz: Finding and Fixing Unwanted Noise

Of all the irritating things that happen when you’re rushing to finish a soundcheck, an unwanted buzz coming through the PA system is one of the worst. There are so many possible culprits, and it seems to happen all the time. Since it’s such a common issue, I wanted to walk through the process I use to find and eliminate unwanted noise, in an attempt to make troubleshooting less stressful.

Finding the Source

To begin, determine whether the buzz is coming from the audio system or something onstage by turning off the PA and monitors. If there’s silence, you know the problem is within the system itself. Turn them both back on and mute the PA system: do you still hear the buzz in the monitors? Use this information to narrow your focus area. If the buzz is solely in the monitors, for example, then you know to examine the channels and equipment that are being sent to the monitors only (such as a click track), and can consider the possibility of a bad channel on the monitor board.

Most likely the buzz is caused by a specific input. If it is unclear from the meters which channel is noisy, mute your inputs one by one until the noise stops. (If you are running monitors from front-of-house, make sure your aux sends are post-fader so that the send is muted along with the channel). Check for a bad channel on the board by hard patching the noisy input to another channel. If the buzz persists, check for a bad channel in the signal path by changing inputs on any snakes or sub snakes in use. Listen for any crackling, pops, or other giveaways that there may be a bad microphone or cable.

Most importantly, talk to the musicians! Ask them to stay quiet while you are troubleshooting and ask about their gear – they will be able to tell you any problems they have experienced at past gigs, and maybe even what solutions have worked.

Troubleshooting the System 

If the buzz is system-only, the issue is probably power. Check where everyone onstage is pulling power from and whether or not the circuit is used exclusively as audio power. Ideally, backline power will be on a circuit used only for the musicians’ gear, but often at smaller venues lighting and audio share power. Lighting dimmers, movers and fans may be audible if power is shared, so see if the buzz changes as lighting dimmers are moved. It may disappear when the lights are at 100%. In this case, there’s not much you can do besides try to reconfigure the power to be as separated as possible.

Next, check for cable crossing. Look at the paths of unbalanced cables. Do they cross paths or run along any cables carrying AC power? Electrical interference often arises when AC cables are in close proximity to unbalanced cables (for example, pedalboard cables), so it’s best to keep them as separated as possible.

There can also be grounding issues at play. If the hum sounds like it’s around 60 Hz, you probably have what’s called a ground loop. Ground loops occur when the ground connections from two or more separate sources (say, the system power and amplifier power) differ. Ideally, both pieces of equipment reference ground at 0 Volts. But nothing is ideal in real life, so it’s more likely that the ground readings differ slightly: say, 10 millivolts and 0 Volts. When this happens, the difference in electric potential can cause a small current loop that flows between the two connections, resulting in noise.

Here the quickest fix is to lift the ground switch on the channel or amplifier (if there is one) or use an adapter that accomplishes the same thing. But this workaround is not ideal since it removes a safety feature. Having the guitarist move around and angle the pickups differently may be enough to get rid of or at least lessen the hum.

Troubleshooting the Stage

If the noise is coming from one of the pieces of equipment on the stage itself, turn the PA system off and start with the simplest case. Here we’ll use the signal flow of a guitar as an example.

To begin, have the guitarist set their amp to clean. Have them unplug and re-plug their instrument cable at both ends – sometimes the problem is as simple as one end of the cable not being completely connected.

Next, have the guitarist plug directly into the amp, bypassing any pedals. Ask the guitarist to move around onstage, to see if the noise changes with location. If so, environmental noise is probably being picked up by the instrument cable, and there should be a spot on stage where the sound minimizes or even disappears altogether.

Connect pedals one by one and see if the buzz reappears with a specific pedal. Plug the guitarist directly into a DI box, and see if the hum disappears with the ground-lift switch flipped. If so, then you know it’s a grounding problem, with either a ground loop in place or an instrument grounding issue somewhere.

A buzz can also be the sign of tubes in a tube amp going bad. If so, there’s not much you can do beyond tolerating the buzz or switching amps. In the rare case that the guitarist is plugged into two amps and sending each amp one side of a stereo pedal, noise can result from a grounding issue between the two amps themselves.

The General Process

Buzzes, hums, and other unwanted noises only have a few likely sources: instruments, cables, and equipment. When unwanted noise occurs, stay calm and determine the general location of the buzz (system or stage). Then, continue narrowing in until you find the source. You may not always be able to find or fix the exact source, but the tips I have given should help you on your way.

 

Los Angeles – Monitor System Prep Internship

SoundGirls can apply to intern assisting with monitor system prep with Karrie Keyes

You will be assisting in prep of the stage and monitor system for the Pearl Jam 2020 Tour.  Be prepared to work hard and get dirty.

If you are interested in interning please send an email to soundgirls@soungirls.org

Please include a brief reason of why you are interested and a resume. Please let us know what dates you can intern.

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Rising Star – Carolyn Slothour Live Sound Engineer

Carolyn Slothour is an up-and-coming independent FOH and Monitor engineer, who has been working in the industry for just over five years. She works as an A1 and A2 at a few production companies based in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, including a company called Zero Fossil which is a clean energy/solar-powered production company. She is the house engineer at a local venue called Brillobox and fills in at several other local venues while not on the road. The past year she has been touring as FOH, tour manager, and playing flute with a variety of artists including Mija, !!! (Chk Chk Chk), Alison Sudol, & a rock theatre group called Squonk Opera. She has several tours planned for 2020 as well.

Carolyn has always been passionate about playing & performing music and decided to move from New Jersey to Pittsburgh to attend college at the California University of PA to follow her love of music, while not really knowing what path she would ultimately take within the industry. The Music Technology Bachelor’s degree she received covered a wide range of things, including music performance & theory, music business, and recording & live sound technology. During her time in college, she interned at a recording studio and production company. While interning, Carolyn discovered she was most passionate about live sound. Having attended and performed in live concerts throughout her life, she says “I realized it made sense for me to work in an environment I’ve always loved and felt at home in from the start.” From there she started picking up freelance sound gigs and has been building her diverse resume of audio work since.

Her current goals are to mix at more large-scale festivals and continue to grow in many different ways. “I have always loved to attend festivals, and working them has become some of the best times of my life, despite the usual “throw-and-go,” high-stakes style mixing at them tends to be. I enjoy the rush and the feeling of accomplishment when it all comes together. I also hope to continue to grow in several different areas of the music industry – including live sound, performance, studio engineering, sound design, composition, and production. I love to learn and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.”

Can you tell us about a tour or show that you’re proud of? A challenge that you pulled off?

My last FOH tour with !!! (Chk Chk Chk) was one that I’m very proud of because I was able to combine my two passions – mixing FOH & playing the flute. When I first met the band, they asked if I would be interested in playing flute with them on a couple of songs of theirs. I was absolutely interested and ended up playing flute on 2-3 songs every night from FOH. It could be a little challenging at times to take my focus away from mixing and put it on performing, but playing the flute is like second nature to me and it felt great to play in front of large audiences with such a great group of musicians. I’m a huge fan of their music, so it was definitely the most fun I’ve ever had at work. I also recently mixed FOH for Mija at Corona Capital Music Festival in Mexico City, along with some extremely talented musicians & engineers. The festival brings in around 146,000 people, so that was a pretty special gig for me as well.

Can you tell us about failure and what you learned from it?

I wouldn’t necessarily call this a failure, but one mistake I made recently was creating a show file at a venue while on tour within someone else’s show structure. It all worked fine until I loaded it up at the next venue with that same console, & there was a lot of basic setup that did not work for the new venue. The house engineer and I spent a while trying to figure out why a variety of things did not work correctly and I ended up finding that certain settings were set very strangely when the show file was initially created. After all that trouble, the show ended up sounding great and it was a good night. But I definitely learned the hard way to only travel with show files that I personally created from the start.

What do you like best about touring? 

My favorite thing about touring is that every day is never exactly the same as the last. There are always different challenges & different people, in a different place, so it’s never boring. It’s taught me to take life one day at a time – not only in my career but in all aspects of my life. It can be a stressful job, but it also takes a certain amount of ‘letting go’ and just going with the flow. And I feel really lucky that my career enables me to travel around the globe and see places that many people only dream of.

What do you like least? 

My least favorite part about touring is being away from my cat, & not being able to focus on playing music & my other interests as much as I’d like. I try to make time for my hobbies on the road as much as possible though.

What is your favorite day off activity? 

My favorite day off activities is finding crystal shops & beautiful nature spots where I can relax and spin poi or play the flute. I also enjoy searching for good vegan restaurants in whatever city I’m in.

What, if any, obstacles and barriers have you faced? 

Freelance audio is a competitive industry, and every engineer has to prove themselves in order to build a reputation. Sometimes it’s a little harder to prove myself to those who may not have faith in women to do a great job, but it’s to be expected when less than 5% of audio engineers are not men. Women tend to be held to a higher standard, but that is a blessing in many ways. We work harder and better in order to make it. If you’re truly passionate about your job & have a solid work ethic, you won’t have trouble finding gigs.

How have you dealt with them? 

I’ve grown a thicker skin since I started freelancing. As in any job, there are people who are unpleasant to work with or don’t believe you will do well. The key is to focus on your own work & put in 100% effort so that they have nothing negative to say after seeing/hearing you do your job well. It’s important not to compare yourself to other engineers because everyone is on a different path and will come across opportunities at different points. Having a positive attitude helps immensely.

The advice you have for other women who wish to enter the field? 

Take the time to learn the basics and do prep work – read manuals, ask questions, & have the initiative to figure things out on your own. Then when you’re put in front of a new console, or any new piece of hardware or software, you’ll have some base knowledge to figure out how it works quickly. Never be discouraged by your lack of knowledge. Most of the learning you’ll do will be on the job, so try not to worry too much about what you do & do not know. No engineer knows EVERYTHING. It’s also very important to not have an ego about your knowledge and experience because it will keep you from learning and is generally just a bad attitude to have. There’s always something to be learned from a situation, as well as from fellow engineers. Plus, the more knowledge you have, the more you’ll realize how much more there is to learn. As long as you keep the drive to learn & adapt, you will go far.

Must have skills? 

Communication & social skills are a must – those were honestly the hardest ones for me starting out because I was always a fairly withdrawn & antisocial child. But it’s the key to getting a lot of gigs. You must be friendly, understanding, easy to get along with, and able to stay calm in stressful situations and never place blame. Generally, people will hire someone they like before someone they don’t, even if they’re a little less competent. Adaptability is also a very important skill – when you work with different people & different sound systems every day, you have to be able to work with many types of personalities and limitations.

Favorite gear? 

I’m a huge fan of analog consoles and gear in general because it tends to sound really great right off the bat. I always enjoy mixing on the classic Midas H3000, and I’m a sucker for good outboard compressors. As for digital consoles, my favorite brand is DiGiCo because they have the power to do pretty much anything I want. I’m a firm believer that if something sounds bad through a sound system while completely flat, you should change the mic first – so great mics are very important to me. I’m currently in the process of building my personal mic closet, so I enjoy testing out different mics that venues have in-house. My favorite combination of microphones varies from artist to artist depending on the sound I’m going for, but it’s usually a mixture of Sennheiser & Audix microphones. My favorite kick drum mic combination is a Shure Beta 91a inside, and an Audix D6 outside.

The SoundGirls Podcast – Carolyn Slothour: FOH Engineer and Flutist

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